In Twenty Years…

I love trying to predict the future. I’m hardly ever right, but its a fun exercise anyway.
In twenty years…

…I will be in my 60s. …my parents will be in their 80s. …my daughter will be thirty-something. …my nephew will be drinking legally.

…wireless communication (internet/phone) will be commonplace in most American cities. Companies will offer the free (or very inexpensive) wireless connectivity in order to sell products/apps. Everyone will be online, all the time.

… there will be a 60th anniversary celebration of the first moon landing. On the moon.

… bookstores will have print on demand of hardcopy books at premium prices. Most books will be immediate digital download into a Reader device of some kind. Physical magazines and most books will move to the web.

… physical newspapers will no longer be published except for The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NYT, LAT, Chicago Tribune and the Miami Herald. All other newspapers will go to online only editions.

… The Star Trek holodeck will not exist, but total immersion suits will be in the early stages of development. The suits will be like a diver’s wet suit and allow one to experience a virtual life – what it’s like to drive a race car, skydive, etc. The most popular virtual life will be the porn add-on which allows men and women to experience having sex with anyone. Celebrities will license their likenesses and a pirate industry will explode.

… Same sex marriages/civil unions will be recognized in every state.

… The District of Columbia will become the 51st state. Puerto Rico will become the 52nd state.

… Universal healthcare will be the norm. Health benefits through your employer will be a rarity.

… contract workers will increasingly become the norm as employees who used to work for health and retirement benefits no longer have to do so.

… the divide between secular humanists and the deeply devout will increase. Homegrown religious terrorists will be stopped in a bloody shoot-out. The tax-exempt status of religious organizations will be tested and many churches will lose.

… Guns ‘n Roses will reunite with their original line-up and embark on a world-wide tour. Steven Adler, sadly, will not tour since he will not be alive in twenty years.

… Gasoline as a fuel for vehicles will be very nearly obsolete. Alternative fueled vehicles will be the norm.

… wind farms will dot the landscape.

… a person’s online presence/information will become more important than resumes. Privacy will be difficult to maintain.

… Election Day will become a national holiday.

… Smarthomes will become the norm. Interactivity with the house AI will be commonplace. The AI will act as security, room regulator (lights, temp, etc) and entertainment companion. Advanced AIs will be connected to appliances and monitor all the goings-on in the household.